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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25555192">Beauty</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharmyWizard/pseuds/CharmyWizard'>CharmyWizard</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Charmy’s Fantasy Stories [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>:(, Butterfly, Fantasy AU, Healing Powers, Little Leo, Royalty, mother knows best, prince - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:55:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,296</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25555192</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharmyWizard/pseuds/CharmyWizard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Little Leo discovers something wonderful about himself, but when he goes to show his mother, Big Mama. He learns about her cruel insight of the world . Set before  the Twilight Thief</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Leonardo &amp; Big Mama (TMNT)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Charmy’s Fantasy Stories [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1897126</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>128</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>The Messenger The Hunter The Prince and The Thief</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Beauty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leo had a lot of favorite places in the castle. Or well, he had a lot of favorite places in a lot of Big Mama’s Castle. But the West Garden in Big Mama’s Third Summer Castle was definitely one of his favorites, where the flowers grew so tall they made it easy to hide from Big Mummy’s guards and everyone else destined to annoy him. He reached up on his tip toes and brushes his fingers underneath the flowers gentle petals, giggling as they tickled his fingertips and showered him in glitter dew.</p><p>He had been thinking of heading to the fountain to fish for some discarded diamonds Big Mummy had thrown away when movement caught the corner of his eye. Just beneath a new budding golden rose, the child knelt down in the dirt and tilted his head to the side to get a better angle on the flower when he saw a large purple butterfly fly with a wingspan almost as big as his (small) hands. Its dark purple wings speckled with black and white spots that reflected off the mystic sun peaking through the flowers. “Hi!” He greeted, the butterfly fluttered back in surprise, it was only then that Leo noticed one of the butterflies wings was bent painfully and torn in some places which was the only reason it hadn’t flown away. “aww.” He said sadly, “It’s ok I wont hurt you .” He promised, bringing his hands around to circle the butterfly without touching it or making it feel trapped, “I live in the big place, right there.” He gestured ,”Its really big and really pretty but I don’t have any one to place with, “ he pouted, “Except Gus but Gus gets boring after a while.” He looked back to the purple butterfly, and a thought occurred to him, “do you wanna be my friend? I dunno what butterflies eat but I’m sure one of the cooks can make it.” The cooks could make anything taste good. Even onions!</p><p>The butterfly moves closer to his hand when a white light, as soft as the mystic moon, starts to grow over his palm. A wiser child would of yelped and tried to shake his hand to get rid of it, but he is more gentle then smart, so he only lets out a soft, “Woww.” And looks at it. The light seems drawn to the butterfly and so he moves the glowing hand closer. The white light starts to flow over the insect, Leo watches in amazement as the white light fills in the cracks and tears of the butterflies wings, when the butterfly flaps its wings and blows the fading light away its wing is newly healed. The creature flutters as though in excitement but otherwise stays. Leo gasps again but louder, “Mummy!!” He calls, scooping up the butterfly in his hands ,gently, before turning and running for the castle.</p><p> </p><p>Despite the fact it takes almost a hour to find Big Mama (He doesn’t know the layout for this castle like he does the other ones) but he finds her in one of the tea rooms at a window seat, sipping some wine out of a glass. She smiles as he approaches, “Well if it isn’t my snuggle wugggle baby. Are you enjoying the castle?”</p><p>“Yes Mummy I love it very very much!” He’s so excited he can’t stop his muddied boots from fidgeting, “Mummy I did something really amazing!!”</p><p>“Oh did you now?” She says, her voice holding on the charm and bubbly nature he was used to, but her attention is already on her drink again</p><p>“Yeah yeah!” Leo held the butterfly from his chest and held it out to her, “I-I found this in the garden and -and it’s wing was hurt -but but then this weird white stuff came out of my hand and fixed it and now we’re best friends!”</p><p>He’s not sure what he expected as a reaction, but slowly Big Mama’s amused, if bored, smile slides from her face into one Leo has never seen before. The Matriarch tasks softly and shook her head, “oh my child its more apparent to me now there is still much to teach you.”</p><p>“I-“ Leo’s muscled twitched, fighting his natural instinct to hold the butterfly protectively to his chest. The air, which was normally spelled into maintaining a perfect temperature at all times, cant’ do anything to stop a cold chill from rising up Leo’s shell.</p><p>“Let me ask you a question, my boy.” For the first time since talking to him, Big Mama turns her entire body to look at him. But somehow being under her full attention only causes his stomach to hurt, “Do you think this butterfly is pretty?”</p><p>Leo swallows hard but answer in a chipper, “yes Mummy I do. But its’ no where as beautiful as you.”</p><p>“Very true, But you just told me that this little creature had been crushed. And if it was crushed, then it must be weak. And if its weak, then how can it be beautiful?” Leo doesn’t answer, some primal instinct deep down claws up and steals his voice in a form of self preservation he wont understand for years to come, “You see, if something is truly beautiful, like this castle, like the garden, like me, then it must be strong enough to survive without having to cling to others like a disgusting leech, “You see, this ‘healing’ gift you think you have is not really a gift. All it does is give others the strength that rightfully belongs to you. Would it not be more merciful to extinguish those who are ugly and weak? To save them from a life of pain and misery?”</p><p> </p><p>Any other day, he would of loved to have his mummy’s full attention and not just a fleeting pat on the head or a half minded giggle. He would never know it, but his next answer would be the deciding factor of whether or not he ended up like the twenty five other children who came before him, or a life of luxury and joy.</p><p>But like a actor stepping into a new role, he smiles brightly, “Why yes Mummy, that’s how the world works after all.”</p><p>“That’s my little prince.” Big Mama says with a approving smile as beautiful and hollow as the crystal glass she sips from,” then let me help you correct your mistake.” Before Leo can say or do anything, she snaps her fingers at the butterfly hovering in Leo’s palms. A moment later it’s beautiful dark purple wings erupt in a red flash of fire. Leaving only ashes to settle on Leos’ palms, the child too surprised to do anything more then widen his eyes, “Say thank you Mummy.”</p><p>Leo , without missing a beat, smiles brightly again, “Thank you Mummy.”</p><p>Big Mama waves her hands at one of the dozen handmaidens standing at the edges of the room, “Ladies,” two of them move closer with a courtesy, “Make sure the prince is thoroughly cleaned. I cant’ have him coming to dinner smelling of that.” Gesturing to the black dust on his still upheld hands, “After all, my prince must be,” she thinks for a moment before resting her chin on the back of her hand with a smile, “Perfect.”</p><p>After what feels like a eternity of being scrubbed and cleaned, Leo sits in his room on his oversized king sized bed with his skin tender and raw, whispering to himself over and over again, “Strength is beautiful, and weakness is ugly.” Till his hands finally stop trembling. Even as he struggles to ignore the Gardner’s outside his window tearing down the garden he had been playing in just hours earlier</p><p>Strength is Beautiful</p><p>Weakness is Ugly</p>
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